


One More Chance

by J_MSE424



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 13:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4837244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_MSE424/pseuds/J_MSE424
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slowburn Bechloe. Chloe is a Trauma Surgeon and Beca is a Navy. Follow their lives as they fall in love. Go through a divorce. And fall in love all over again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Pitch Perfect and its characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 1

"Alright, that should be it." Dr. Chloe Beale said after covering the wound with the dressing. She then faced the boy, who was no more than seven, with a smile. "Be careful, it's still raw, so don't move it around much so it won't open again. Okay?"

The boy whose face was covered in drying tears nodded frantically at her. She then faced the boy's mother for wound care instructions and follow-up appointment for the removal of the suture. "Do you have any other questions?"

The older woman shook her head before smiling at her. "Thank you Dr. Beale. I'm sure Carl would take it easy next time he plays outside with his friends."

"Oh, it's no problem. Kids are just that, kids." She replied smiling a memory coming to her mind. Looking at Carl, she continued. "I was once like you, and I even got a scar to prove it." She said moving a bit of her hair from her forehead revealing a small but noticeable scar near the hairline. "I got that because I was too hyperactive as a kid and bumped my head in the seesaw."

The boy imagining a small version of Chloe doing just that made him giggle.

"There's that handsome smile."

"Thank you again, Dr. Beale," the boy's mother interrupted before adding. "You're really be great with kids. Have you got any?"

Chloe looked at her with surprise but pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll be a great mother," she commented before turning to her son. "You ready to go home Carl?"

The boy nodded. "Well. Why don't you thank Dr. Beale for helping you out before we go?"

The boy shyly looked at her before saying, "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Chloe beamed. "Now why don't you and your mom go home so you could rest?"

She helped the boy come down from the bed before he and his mother walked away. She looked at their retreating backs for a while before sighing.

"So that's the third time this month that I've heard that," someone said from behind her and she took a glance before answering.

"Yeah, I notice" she agreed. "Though, I didn't take you for a snoop, Dr. Posen."

Aubrey scoffed before answering. "I just happened to be at the next bed and overheard the conversation. It isn't my fault that you've been receiving these comments whenever I'm around."

Chloe just rolled her eyes at her in mock annoyance before moving to pick-up her equipment and clean the area. Dr. Aubrey Posen was another resident stationed at the Emergency Room of Massachusetts General Hospital. The blonde doctor had been here since her internship and was absorbed for residency. Chloe on the other hand was a graduate of UCLA and being one of the top students of her class, was offered residency in Massachusetts. Knowing that this was becoming one of the top hospitals in the United States, she grabbed the opportunity and flew to Boston, back to her home town. She had just started ten months ago and is now working her way through her first year of residency.

"You know, from the beginning I never pegged you for a trauma surgeon. You're more like a Pediatrician kind of doctor." Aubrey commented.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," she replied dumping the trash in their respective bins. "But to answer your question, the military only provides limited track choices to choose from. And Pediatrics isn't one of them."

"Oh, I guess that's why you've specialized in Trauma?" The blonde doctor inquired.

Chloe only nodded in response.

"Wait, so you're going to join the forces?" Aubrey asked before thinking out loud. "But aren't you supposed to be out there for your residency instead of here?"

"It's complicated." Was the only answer the redhead provided along with a shake of her head and from her tone Aubrey knew that it was the only one she will receive. She let it drop knowing that the trauma surgeon doesn't want to talk about her personal life. Aubrey knew that her fellow resident came from a military family. She had met them a few times since their hospital is practically near the military base. And the Beale's are pretty known around Boston.

"Have you had lunch yet?" Aubrey asked changing the topic altogether.

"Not yet," she answered removing her gloves and throwing them in the trash before grabbing the chart on the bedside table. "Let me just finish this and then we can go."

xxx

"So Stacie and I were going to go to a club tomorrow night, and we were wondering if you would like to come," Aubrey said casually as they were eating lunch. She was having a garden salad and lasagna while Chloe had the potato salad and steamed cream dori.

"I'm not sure, clubs aren't really my thing" Chloe started. The truth of the matter was, she did like going to clubs but after the incident five years ago she avoided it altogether.

"Come on," Aubrey tried to convince her. "You've been back here for what, almost a year? I mean, even I didn't take this long to loosen up and agree to partying out. And believe me, I'm the most stuck up person you'll ever meet."

"Alright." Chloe agreed after a while, the blonde's logic convincing her. She knew Aubrey was the most uptight person she had ever met. She clearly knew this the moment she met her on the first day of her residency. The blonde cardiologist even had different nicknames floating around and she had heard a few. One of them that she frequently heard was 'Stuck up Posen'.

"Great!" The blonde said. And there was one she remembered. 'BiPosen'. Apparently one nurse thought she was bipolar. She was very fond of the memory when she first heard it. It certainly didn't help Aubrey's case that she really did look crazy that time. "I'll tell Stacie later when she comes in for her shift."

Before they could continue their conversation while eating the intercom buzzed.

"Paging Doctor Beale, please proceed to the ER. Paging Doctor Beale, please proceed to the ER."

"I guess that's my cue," Chloe said taking a last bite of her potato salad before standing up and taking her plate. "See you later, Bree."

"Hey, remember tomorrow!" Aubrey called after her and Chloe waved her hand at her in response.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Chloe was in the kitchen preparing her dinner. A simple meal consisting of salad and baked chicken. This was like her most nights since she lived alone in the two story home, a very generous wedding gift from her parents. She didn't like to go out much during her off and was fine with her movie marathon nights. Sometimes Aubrey would come when they days off would coincide but this rarely happened since they needed either of the two to be present in the ER most of the time._

_She was currently mixing the ingredients of her salad in a bowl after putting the chicken inside the oven to cook when the doorbell rang. Startled, she stopped her preparation and went to the sink to wash her hands before wiping them on the apron she was wearing. She wasn't expecting anyone to come over. She thought about who it could be as she made her way over to the front door. Her parents were currently in Seattle on a gala and her brother was on a tour. They were the only ones who would visit her from time to time but now, seemed a little bit odd. Aubrey and Stacy both have duties and other than that she had acquaintances at best. She did just move back after so long, and she hasn't been back long to reconnect with her childhood friends yet. Shrugging maybe it was just her neighbor who wanted to say hi._

_Putting up her thousand-watt smile, she looked at the peephole only to look at a man in a white suit, clearly from the navy and in an instant her smile faded. She rushed to open the door and was greeted by the said man who was holding a folded white suit in front of him and on top were a few medals and a dog chain. What caught her eye was the other item looped on the chain along with the tag. It was the identical band that rested on her own necklace that was attached to her neck. Unconsciously her hand went to look for the ring which she grasped upon feeling it through her shirt._

_"Good evening ma'am," the man greeted getting Chloe's attention form the items he was currently holding. Seeing that he caught his attention he continued. "I'm Lieutenant Aaron Saunders, and I'm looking for Dr. Chloe Beale. I was informed that she lives here."_

_"I-I'm Dr. Beale," for a moment Chloe forgot her voice. "Why?"_

_Upon hearing her answer the marine straightened up as if preparing himself for what was going to happen next. He then stretched out his hands forward to give Chloe the items before answering. "On behalf of the whole military navy, please accept our deepest condolences. Your wife passed away with honor and integrity…"_

_The rest of his words fell to her deaf ears as her tears now pooled under her eyes before flowing freely on her cheeks the rest of her body becoming numb by the second. Like on clockwork, she received the items handed out to her and mumbling a thanks she returned inside shutting the door not caring if the man outside was still talking when she did so. The moment she closed the door she broke down on the floor sobbing heavily. She looked at the things in her hands and got the chain with her right hand letting the others fall to the ground. She held it above her head letting the contents of the chain dangle in front of her face._

_It wasn't supposed to be like this. She thought. She wanted Beca to come back alive. There were many things she wanted to say and now she couldn't. She closed her eyes letting her hand fall to the ground along with the chain she was holding. She continued to sob and totally forgot about the chicken she was baking in the kitchen when she suddenly heard the bell ring._

xxx

Chloe woke up to the ringing of her alarm all sweaty and breathing heavily. Realizing that it was only just a dream she quickly opened the lamp on the bedside table looking at the necklace that was shining under the lamplight. She let out the breath she was unconsciously holding and sat up.

It was just a dream. She thought calming her nerves. She looked at the clock beside it and read 4:34am. Running a hand through her auburn locks she grabbed the necklace and put it on then stood up and went to the bathroom to prepare for her day.

xxx

Chloe arrived at the hospital twenty minutes before the start of her scheduled shift for the day. Aubrey was at the resident's quarters fixing her stuff when she arrived.

"Rough night?" Chloe asked.

"Try uneventful," Aubrey supplied. "Just woke up half an hour ago."

Chloe raised a brow at this. "You look like you had and all nighter."

"Slept on a chair all night," Aubrey explained. "Some idiot intern accidentally locked up the room and the key inside. Dr. Brandon came in earlier with the spare."

"Hey what's with the look?" Aubrey asked seeing that Chloe rolled her eyes at the mention of the other doctor's name.

"Nothing," she replied.

"Come on, you don't normally roll your eyes for 'nothing'," the blonde said.

"It just sucks that I'm stuck for my 72 hour shift with him," the red head explained. "You know he keeps on hitting on me when clearly I'm not interested. He's really persistent."

Before Aubrey can say something, the door of the quarters opened and came Dr. Thomas Brandon.

"Hey Chloe," he greeted her first. "Hi Aubrey."

"Dr. Brandon." Chloe greeted back. "What brings you by?"

"You know I told you to call me Tom," he said suggestively, smiling before answering her. "There's a burn patient on F and I've got a close monitoring on D. I know your shift doesn't start in 10 minutes but I was hoping you could take F."

Dr. Thomas Brandon, or Tom for short, is the assistant chief resident of the emergency department. He was a pretty tall and well-built guy with a very handsome face. He was popular with the staff with his pretty boy look. His short styled light brown hair and blue eyes adding to his character. He is like every woman's dream guy. Even Aubrey has a bit of a crush on him. He has a little bit of a cocky attitude, but he's well-mannered and mostly polite. He's also one of the best senior residents in the hospital.

"Let me just grab my coat," Chloe said putting her bag inside one of the lockers and pulling out the coat that hanged inside. She turned to Aubrey before leaving. "See you tomorrow Bree."

The day dragged on for Chloe who had a couple of patients coming in throughout the day. There was an old lady who slipped and fell on the stairs and broke her femur. A teen who got bit by a dog. An infant with a high grade fever and some minor accidents. By the time when the sun set she was now lounging at the station with nothing to do but wait. With the inactivity her mind wandered off to her dream earlier. She wondered how Beca was and if she really was alright. She hoped that nothing had happened to her and the dream was just her mind playing with her. Before she could delve more into her thoughts, it was this time that Tom decided to sit down beside her to open up a conversation.

"Finished with all the admissions?" He asked starting lightly.

"Just endorsed Mrs. Atkins to Dr. Renner," she answered. She knew where this conversation was going but with nothing to do, she couldn't get up and just leave even if she did want to. He was still her superior and she definitely didn't want to be rude to him.

"Want to grab an early dinner at the canteen?" Chloe raised a brow at this. "I promise this won't be one of my ploys to ask you out. I'm just hungry and I want to take advantage of the dead time right now."

She was skeptical but seeing his logic, she should grab a bite so she agreed. "Alright."

xxx

"So Chloe, how are you liking the hospital so far?" Tom asked as they sat on one of the tables.

"Pretty great actually," she answered.

"So I guess Trauma is working out for you?"

"It's alright," she said taking a bite of her sandwich. "Why'd you ask?"

"Don't get mad, but I kinda heard you the other day when you were talking with Aubrey, about wanting to become a Pediatrician," he explained which earned a look from the red head. He stopped, gauging her before continuing. "There's a program offered by the hospital for those doctors who want to take a second specialty. It's like a scholarship of sorts offered only for doctors who had a minimum of 1 year employment here."

"Oh, really?" Chloe asked now interested in what he was saying.

"Yeah, they take two or three doctors every year under the program."

"I'll look out for that," she said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled at her.

After that they talked about a few more things before going back to the ER. Chloe had to admit that it was easy to talk to Dr. Brandon, whom she now called Tom, much to the other doctor's insistence as he said that they were now friends. Chloe didn't mind it, she was kinda glad since their small talk dissolve the awkwardness between them. And Tom was true to his word that he'll stop asking her out and even voiced out that he'll settle for just friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Beca was never fond of the sea or the open waters. When she was young she usually went to Maine where her grandparents lived to spend her summer vacation. She enjoyed spending time with her grandparents who never made her summer dull and boring specially her grandfather who took her out fishing on the lake every time. But on the summer of her 14th birthday her grandfather decidedly took her on a fishing trip out on the coast of New Jersey saying that she was old enough to accompany him on the big boats. Excited as she was, she gladly joined him with the permission of her parents, and with her favorite rod secured and her favorite set of baits packed she set out with her grandfather along with his friends to the sea.

It started out pretty fun. She loved the way the air wisped her hair back as the boat surged forward to the deeper seas. She even loved the calmness of the waters as they set out very early in the morning just before sunrise. And was even awed by the view of the rising sun when it came. By the time they stopped, the sun had already risen considerably and they anchored the boat to set up their rods. Her grandfather helped her set up and advised her to use one of the smaller baits she had since there were larger fish in the sea and the bigger the bait the more the larger fish would be attracted to it. So she used the smallest bait she had. A yellow rubber fish the size of her thumb. After waiting for everybody to set up they each took a position and casted their bait out into the sea.

The fish weren't biting for the first hour that they were there. So they placed their rods in their holders and they prepared and ate breakfast that they brought. Their meal not only consisted of food but also stories, that the men shared about their fishing encounters. They had a good meal that morning and soon afterwards, one of the lines had caught something and they quickly went to it leaving the food behind. The guys were cheering Allan, the owner of the line, to reel in the fish. He had a very difficult time reeling in as he noted that the fish was really heavy and strong. He almost lost his grip on his rod when Joseph, the man cheering beside him placed his hands on the rod to help him. With much effort they were able to slowly reel the fish in and Beca looked in awe on the side.

When they saw the line getting closer, her grandfather went near the edge to help pull in the catch and held on to the line itself. He told Beca that he would show her how to 'haul in' the catch so that it won't escape. What they didn't expect when they were about to lift the fish to the boat was the large teeth their catch had who decided to jump and bite the nearest object within its reach. The next thing Beca saw haunted her. Her grandfather, who was on the edge fell to the floor blood squirting out of his armless shoulder. Panic set into her and she fainted.

The time she regained her consciousness was at the hospital. She woke up on the sofa of the hospital room and saw her parents sitting on the chairs beside her asleep while her grandmother was on the side of the bed. Momentarily forgetting what happened she turned to look who was at the hospital bed and screamed when she saw her grandfather, body wrapped in bandages. Her parents shook awake and tried to calm her down eventually leading her out of the room to prevent her grandfather from waking up. When she calmed down after an hour she recalled the incident. They assured her that her grandfather was fine. While he did lose his arm they were able to return quick enough to go to the hospital and were able to save him. He did lose a lot of blood so he currently needs a lot of blood transfusion and rest.

After that encounter, Beca swore off the sea and fishing altogether. She became recluse and turned to music for comfort. She blamed herself for what happened. Her parents, grandmother and even grandfather assured her that it was an accident and they insisted that she was never to blame as no one had expected that to happen. But it was more of an inner battle as her mind kept telling her that if she didn't come with them that day then maybe her grandfather wouldn't have lost his arm. It severely affected her relationship with her grandparents and she didn't visit them anymore during the summer. Instead she was cooped up in her room playing with her music all day. It was when she went to college that her thoughts had changed and she had a certain redhead to thank for that. Now she doesn't resent going out into the sea and open waters. She may not be fond of it, but she overcame her inner struggles associated with it. That's why she was able to take almost 4 years being on board on a ship without any animosity. Looking back she fondly remembered the first day she met her.

xxx

_Beca never wanted to go to college. She wanted to fly out to LA and become a DJ. Ever since she had been in tune with music that was all she ever wanted to become. But when her parents both agreed that she needed a college education, for free her father added, she was sent to Barden University in Atlanta even with much protest. The only good thing that she got from this ordeal was if she tried out college and still wanted to pursue LA afterwards, they would gladly help her do so. Her mother even promising to fund her until she gets stable. The catch was they need to see that she put in effort to actually try and enjoy the experience. She never thought that she would see the day that her parents would be civil and even agree with each other after the divorce but it wasn't that surprising seeing that their topic of discussion was her to begin with. So she relented._

_So here she was now in front of the door of her room in Baker Hall with her bags behind her. She took a deep breath before reaching out to the handle but before she could turn the knob someone had spoken from behind her._

_"Hi! You must be Rebecca Mitchel?" The chirpy voice startled her and she turned around to see who it was. A beautiful redhead girl with crystal blue eyes greeted her sight. The red head held out her hand and motioned for her to take it which she reluctantly did and the other girl shook it. "I'm Chloe Beale and I'm your roommate!"_

_Beca smiled an awkward smile not knowing what to do being caught off guard by this gorgeous redhead in front of her. "B-beca."_

_"What?" Chloe leaned a bit to tell her that she didn't quite catch what she said._

_"C-call me Beca." She repeated for clarity. Chloe gave her a megawatt smile and pulled her closer. Too close as Beca recalled feeling her breath upon her._

_"I feel that we're going to be really fast friends, Beca."_

xxx

"Hey Lieutenant, how's the encryption coming along?" Ensign Jessie Swanson entered the cabin and sat in front of her interrupting her thoughts. Jessie had become her best friend for during the duration of their four-year tour. They had met during training camp and had been luckily assigned to the same division. Though their ranks differ, whenever the two were alone or with friends they didn't act like they had a barrier between them.

"Mostly intercepted calls," Beca answered. She had a large headphone over her head with one ear uncovered for conversation. "It's weird that this has been going on for the past few days. It's like we're missing something."

"Maybe they changed frequency again," Jessie suggested. "I'll check with Luke if he can mix up something to detect other frequencies and I'll help sorting them out."

They met Luke during their first day at the USS Liberty II. They became close and treated each other like siblings. They were very surprised to have been selected on board this vessel as this was one of the highly confidential "Technical Research" Ships of the Navy. However, they were handpicked by the Fleet Admiral himself as this ship was a spy ship and they eventually knew why they were selected. Disguised as a ship to do research on "atmospheric and communications phenomena", the real purpose of this ship was to gather intelligence by intercepting wireless communication within a specific area. The data collected is then encrypted and analyzed before sending out to the main base to be used for strategic planning. They were the most capable persons to do the task given their talents. So they were assigned on a four-year tour on the East Mediterranean Sea to gather intelligence on the activity of the most feared terrorist group today.

Beca's task was mainly to hear the sound waves being intercepted and converting them to words or conversations. She had a good ear and was very helpful in stopping some of the plans of the terrorist group. Jessie on the other hand was tasked to locate the possible places to position their transmitter to optimize the range of frequency of the waves they intercept. Their task is very grueling as they need to monitor their data frequently. Luke was in charge of the receptor's frequencies to match up the sound waves getting through their field of work. They were a small team coupled with others for other tasks but the heart of the ship lies with them and their work.

"So, Becs," Jessie started, changing the topic of their conversation. "Later the guys and I were planning to go on shore for a little bit of relaxation and release."

Beca lifted her headphones off and placed them above her shoulder. She looked at Jessie lifting her eye brow in the process.

"Come on, don't give me that look," he reasoned. "For the four years and ten months I have known you. You've never joined us for these things. I mean I'm sure you're human Becs, and humans crave the touch of other humans. Unless you're part robot. Which some of us are really considering."

"I flattered your concerned about my sex life Jess but I told you, that –"

"You're married," Jessie cut her off. "Are you really? You keep a ring on your tag and have an outdated picture of you and some red head chick. But I've never seen you write or receive a letter from this so-called 'wife' of yours."

Jessie knew he hit a nerve when he brought that up. Beca never expounded anything on this topic other than telling them that she had a wife back home. It was like a taboo topic for her and she immediately clams up whenever she's asked anything about this Chloe person. It wasn't like they didn't want to believe her because they do. It's just doubtful when supposedly you have a wife or even family back home that they will be in touch with you and so far the only ones who had gotten in touch with her are her parents.

"At the very least come and drink with us," Jessie tried to convince her.

"Sorry Jess, I'll pass," she finally answered. "Next time, maybe."

Jessie sighed. He knew that Beca would decline again. But he had to try so he could at least let her relax. Being cooped up here for too long isn't good for anyone. He conceded knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her now. But he had hope hearing that maybe. So he'll try again next time. "Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find us."

Before Jessie could leave someone knocked on the door and let himself in.

"Captain Johnson," Beca and Jessie chorused standing up straight at his entrance. Captain Henry Johnson was the head of USS Liberty II and is in charge of the whole operations.

"At ease," he instructed. "I'm just here to deliver you good news."

Jessie and Beca looked at each other before looking back to the Captain waiting for his news.

"I know we aren't due to be back in a couple of months but we were instructed to return immediately," Captain Johnson informed them. "We haven't received word as to why and we'll probably know when we arrive."

He then smiled at them. "We're going home soldiers."

Beca and Jessie took the news with surprise and couldn't help but smile in return. Captain Johnson then informed them that they were due to leave the day after tomorrow so they have a free night and day for themselves. Before leaving he gave his final words to Beca. "Go and join them tonight, Lieutenant. You guys deserve to have some fun before going home. I'll probably go as well."

Beca was about to protest but Captain Johnson was firm with her and gave his final words before leaving.

"That's an order Lieutenant Beale."


	4. Chapter 4

The week had gone by like a breeze and Chloe found herself once again alone in her house during her off. But she wouldn't be alone all day as her mother will be visiting her. Earlier in the week her mother had called her to check up on her like she usually did and mentioned that she will be dropping by for a visit like she usually does whenever she's free. Her mother and father had just come back from another conference across the state. While her mother had the time to spare, her father was immediately called to office for some important meeting.

She didn't mind a bit that her father wasn't able to visit as he rarely had the freedom to do what he pleases with his time given his current position in the army. Her mother had already retired early being in the front lines for too long. Though she sometimes gets invited to talk or facilitate trainings for the medics due to her experience. With the amount of free time, her mother took this opportunity to get closer to them. With the noted absence of her brothers since they were usually on tour, she had been the receiver of the attention. Chloe couldn't blame her mother, she knew for a fact that this was due to her remarkable absence during their childhood because of her service in the frontlines.

Looking at her watch which read half past nine, she thought it'd be best to start preparing for her mother's visit. She cleared the kitchen table of her breakfast and set them in the dishwasher, setting the machine to automatically wash the dishes. After making sure the kitchen was clean, she went upstairs to the bedroom and set out her dress for the day before grabbing a towel on her way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and prepared herself. By the time she was done fixing herself up, an hour has already passed and she decided to wait in the living room since her mother will be by any moment. Grabbing the remote by the counter she settled into the couch and turned the television on to catch up on the news for the day.

The news at this time was about how the economy was doing and the news caster had invited over a consultant to give remarks on the topic. She didn't pay attention to the boring discussion deciding to just read the headlines of the latest news scrolling at the bottom of the screen. None of the headlines caught her interest as she continued to read the words scrolling and the discussion currently happening on screen bored her. She wasn't particularly interested in hearing about some commentary she couldn't even understand. Thankfully a few minutes later the sound of her doorbell rang, and she quickly turned off the television and got up to open the door.

"Hi mom," she greeted enthusiastically moving in to hug the older woman which was equally reciprocated.

"Hi dear," Alice greeted back after the hug and then kissed both of her cheeks. Chloe moved out of the way to let her mother enter and closed the door behind her. "I've brought you those macarons you like so much from that store you always mentioned."

True enough the older Beale was holding a paper bag from 'Ladurée'. Chloe excitedly took the bag from her mother and hugged her before saying thanks. "Thanks mom! I've been craving this for some time already."

Her mother chuckled in response and sat down on the sofa in the living room while Chloe went to the kitchen to put the box inside the refrigerator. When she came back she settled beside her mother on the couch making herself comfortable.

"So how was the conference?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, pretty much the same as any of the others before," her mother replied. "Your father enjoyed the food as always."

Chloe giggled at this. Her father had a very soft spot for food and often got teased that food was his kryptonite. His colleagues mostly teased him that it was how her mother won him over when they started dating. "How's dad by the way?"

"He's been stressed as of late since the new terrorist group started their attacks and spreading those videos of beheadings," Alice answered sighing. "And the situation over Syria is getting worse by the day."

Upon hearing the country, Chloe tensed. Her mother noticed this and tried to ease her worries. "Beca's doing fine. She's out in the sea, far from the commotion going on the land. She's not even part of the front lines. I got a letter from her the other day. She said they're doing well."

The words did little to ease Chloe's worries about her wife. Her mother sensed this and continued. "You know, I don't get it why you don't send her a letter yourself. I think five years is too much for you to be hung up on what happened."

"It's not about that anymore," Chloe started. "I screwed up and let my emotions get the better of me. She probably hates me for doing this to her."

"You're still married to her," her mother stated glancing at the chain hanging around her neck. "The fact that she hasn't signed those papers mean something. She still loves you."

"That's why I don't deserve her," Chloe said solemnly. "She sacrificed too much already and this is how I repay her."

"You don't owe her anything dear," her mother put her hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently. "It was her choice to do this. Even your father and I were against it but she made a point that day when she asked for our permission to marry you that she wouldn't leave until she got our blessing despite what her plans were. And she didn't even had the guarantee that her plan would work. She already wanted to marry you whatever may have happened."

Chloe felt bad at this. They rarely talked about the short brunette ever since as it was a sore topic for her. She knew that Beca only had her best interests in mind when she made that decision long ago. However, Chloe couldn't help but be hurt by her actions. It was still a dick move, as Beca might have phrased it. And with what happened afterwards was a mess altogether that she regretted afterwards. She never tried to get in touch with her. She figured that she didn't have the right for her forgiveness. Instead she focused on becoming a doctor as she planned, not wanting to waste the opportunity Beca opened up for her hoping that maybe when she returns from her tour Beca would at least see that her sacrifice was not in vain.

She loved the short brunette dearly and still does to this day. Somewhere inside of her she still hoped that she and her wife will be okay and that when she returns, she'll have the opportunity to talk to her and apologize. Then they'll make up and put this past behind them. As long as they're still married she still has hope. As long as Beca doesn't sign the divorce papers she hopefully has a chance.

Chloe looked back at her mother before twisting her hand so she could squeeze the older woman's hand back. She looked at her and smiled. "I'll talk to her when she gets back."

Alice smiled in return. "Her tour's going to be finished in two months. I'll ask your father to see what base she'll be reporting to."

"Thank you," Chloe moved closer to her mother and hugged her. Ever since this whole thing started her mother was the first one she confided in to. She clearly remembered the day when she found out the news.


End file.
